tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099261.post113344071894096071..comments2023-10-08T07:22:27.278-05:00Comments on A Random Walk: OverconsumptionTaggerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702256120186056219noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099261.post-1138231197997777572006-01-25T17:19:00.000-06:002006-01-25T17:19:00.000-06:00I agree that our spending is not commensurate with...I agree that our spending is not commensurate with the improvements in life expectancy. First, life expectancy in aggregate numbers gets the biggest bang for the buck when you reduce infant mortality, death from childhood diseases, and the fatalities from unhealthy longterm behaviors such as smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise. These are mostly public health measures.<BR/><BR/>I don't think having your own TV and other amenities contributes to quality of care or even quality of life -- it's simply part of our expectations. My dad got sick overnight while we were in Hong Kong a few years ago, and my sister was horrified that the hospital there put him in a big hall with many other patients on beds. Yet this type of hospital frees up money to go to the measures that do improve health, instead of just pandering to one's non-bodily comfort. Dad himself, incidentally, didn't have a problem with his treatment, probably because he began working as a doctor in India and recently helped to start a hospital there -- where I doubt there are individual TVs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com